(lactation activist)
A Motherlode of Breastfeeding Information
Sleepy Baby
It is a well-known fact that babies generally sleep a lot. This can be a blessing, allowing you to rest and recover from birth. A sleepy baby can also be quite a blow to getting your milk supply established. Most babies wake frequently enough and are plenty hungry to establish your supply quickly. Some other babies don't wake quite so easily and aren't all that hungry when they do finally wake. It is important in the first few days to wake a sleepy baby frequently (AT LEAST every two hours during the day and every three at night). It is also important to make sure that she suckles well during her waking times. It can be very frustrating when your newborn barely wakes and then seems to only lick your nipple. This is commonly the case in babies whose mothers received pain medication or an epidural in labor. The key is to take advantage of any times that your baby is awake.
If you birth in a hospital, it is important to have rooming-in so that you can truly feed your baby on demand. One of the last signs a baby shows of hunger is crying and that is usually when the nursery staff bring your baby to you. It is difficult to get a breastfeeding relationship established with a screaming baby. Having your baby at hand can help you to recognize the early signals of hunger and allow you the chance to nurse your baby before he starts crying. Having your sleepy baby room-in with you gives you a chance to frequently wake her. With baby at your side you can see every time she awakens giving you more opportunities to get her nursing.
The more awake you can get your baby to be the better he will be able to latch on and suckle. There are several tips that can help to rouse a sleepy baby. Cooling off the room is important because an overheated baby will not stay awake for long. Undressing the baby can also help to cool her off and get her more awake. (Beware of chilling your baby too much.) Putting some drops of breastmilk on her lips or on your nipple can get her more interested. In babies that just seem to never wake up, it may take some more extreme measures. Gently tapping on his feet to keep him nursing can be effective for lengthening a feed. A wash cloth applied to the head can arouse her enough to nurse. All these tactics must be gentle. Most importantly, keep your baby in close contact with your body and especially your breasts. Lots of skin-to-skin contact can go a long way to stimulate your milk and get baby more interested in nursing.
If your baby isn't nursing well the first day it is a good idea to hand-express some colostrum and spoon feed to the baby. This will help the baby maintain his blood sugar. Giving glucose water isn't necessary if you can give your baby colostrum. Get help from a board certified lactation consultant if your baby isn't nursing well in the early days. It is better to get help from the start than to let a problem grow out of control.
The main reasons for waking a sleepy baby are to get your milk supply established and to get enough milk in your baby. If your milk supply is established and your baby is gaining, there is no need to keep waking your baby. Get some rest and allow your baby to rest too.
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